Mark and Beth
by Hardys and Horcruxes
Summary: A snapshot of the people Rory and Jess find themselves with before finding each other. Part of my series of one-shots, very definitely Lit.


Mark & Beth

December 2007

The sound of a dog barking woke Rory from a blissfully warm night's sleep, bringing everything in her hotel room in focus. She hadn't turned off the lights before falling asleep, which normally meant there was a book nearby on the floor. Instead of finding a half-read novel she noticed the sleeping form next to her, which explained a lot. Mark had been working late that night, invited to a special Q&A only attended by the top news companies in the country. He must've been too exhausted to turn off the lights or even change his clothes, if the fancy collared shirt was any indication.

Turning her attention back to the dog she looked for her phone, knowing it was the email tone her mother had chosen. Thinking of the elder Lorelai made her sad, until she remembered the date. Just three more days of this, and she'd be home for a whole week. It was the first time the campaign trail had given her more than a day off, so it would be her first visit to Stars Hollow in months. She'd seen her mother twice, once was a surprise for them both courtesy of Luke in New York, the other a planned meeting in Chicago (Lorelai was at a conference two doors down from Rory's hotel). The last of those meetings was over a month ago, so she was very eager for the whole week off for the Christmas-New Year's break. She wasn't sure where they were off to in January, which was coincidentally the contents of the email.

She scanned the lists of dates, noting the familiar city names with either a nod or eye roll. Checking it one more time, her eyes fell to a familiar city. Philadelphia. Just reading the place in her head made her nervous, and she glanced towards Mark. He knew all about Logan, in fact he was acutely aware that he was the rebound guy from the Huntzberger heir. Rory assured herself that rebounds didn't last almost three months like she and Mark had, though it wasn't hard to realise that even without the Logan factor, there was an expiration date on this relationship. When either one stopped covering the Obama campaign, whether given another position or the campaign simply ended, they wouldn't pursue this further. It was the unspoken truth. Still, to talk to him about Jess…

If Jess and Mark met objectively she knew they'd get along. Mark wasn't a people pleasing jock like Dean, nor did he possess the entitled jerk-like qualities of Logan. He was brilliant, his brain worked at a hundred miles an hour and his mouth attempted to keep up. Well-read, though he'd mostly stuck to classics and a few more popular titles. He managed to keep up with her rambling, though he never joined in. Overall he was a nice, attractive guy who she knew Jess would rip to shreds if they ever met. Because there was no objectivity when it came to Jess. He'd be able to suss out what was going on in an instant, then spend the better part of an evening pointing out every single fault in the man she had chosen to share her bed with. Well technically it was his bed, his newspaper could afford nicer hotels and they'd both agreed it was cheaper than her still booking a room and spending the night with him anyway. But that wasn't the point, the fact of the matter was that they were heading to Philadelphia, and it was _Jess _and there was no way she could go there and not see him. Old friends visited each other, right?

* * *

><p>Beth McLaughlin had been the first non-work friend Jess had made in Philadelphia. They'd met at an arts festival he'd been dragged to, and she was the art. She'd volunteered to be a part of her friend's experimental piece exploring the dangers of mediocrity, wearing a dress made of pennies and one dollar bills. In her hand she held an eviction notice, and it made a lot of people make stupid noises of approval. After standing completely still in the summer heat she almost collapsed into a chair near the concession stand and introduced herself to him. He almost rolled his eyes at what he believed to be another overly pretentious art type, but something in her face held sourness towards something. He would later learn it was against herself, with her self-deprecating humour being a mainstay of their long friendship. It turned out she wasn't an artist, just a lawyer who dated them a lot. This meant she wasn't just Jess' first non-work buddy in Philadelphia, she was probably the only non-arts related friend he'd had in his entire life.<p>

They made an interesting pair, Jess the Loner and Beth the Lesbian. At least he thought she was gay, having seen her with a string of beautiful women. That was until one night during a particularly bad bout of writer's block, when they'd gotten drunk and slept together. She'd laughed it off as a wonderful mistake before explaining that she didn't choose the bi life, the bi life chose her. They both decided to forget about it until it happened again a week later, though this time they were both sober. That's when an agreement was struck: one no-strings fling with any feelings resulting in the termination of said tryst. It suited Jess to the ground, being too consumed by his current writing to even consider any kind of dating opportunities. Which is how they found themselves together in bed Christmas morning, Jess typing furiously on his laptop as Beth slept.

"Shit! I can't believe I fell asleep." Beth mumbled as she woke up, pushing her red hair away from her face.

"Yes, you slept here with me. Now we're both in love with each other, unfortunately. I was about to start googling engagement rings, you want anything in particular?" He smirked when he saw her eyes roll, before she hit him with a pillow.

"Shut up, Mariano. You know how I feel about the whole waking up next to each other thing." She'd been very clear, almost always leaving whenever she felt they were finished for the night. He'd protested on the nights it was well after midnight, but she just walked out anyway. There was really no way to stop her other than physical force, which he'd tried once only for it to end in more sex and her walking out anyway.

"Ah yes, nothing says romance like the smell of morning breath," he muttered as he went to check his emails.

"God, no wonder you're single." When he didn't respond to her taunt, Beth turned to look at him. He seemed shocked, though that couldn't be it. Nothing fazed Jess Mariano, who had the look of indifference mastered. Peering over his shoulder, she noticed his newest email. Gilmore comma Rory. That explained it then.

"Do you have to do that?" He broke his silence, making her smile wickedly.

"Hey, you were doing your best impression of a statue, I needed to see if there were incriminating photos. What do you think she wants?"

"Beats me," he clicked on the email, reading its contents quickly. He knew Beth was doing the same. It confirmed a few things, Luke providing his details and a Christmas in Stars Hollow. She wrote a little about her current job, which he knew of well. One of the other windows opened contained her blog, which he'd bookmarked as soon as he got the information out of his uncle. It was good, the writing and the fact that she was travelling across the country. It wasn't until the last line that she got to the point, and it was mildly surprising.

"Wow, I didn't know the election circus was coming to town. Looks like you've got a coffee date in two weeks, Mary," she smirked as she used her pet name for him, something he hated significantly less than the usual jab of being called Jessica, though he'd never tell her that.

"That should be," he paused to find the right word, "interesting."

"You gonna make a move, stud?"

"On Rory? Not a chance."

"That last time stung a tad, huh?" Beth had been there the day Rory last walked in and out of his life. She'd noticed the tiny brunette with the big blue eyes, appreciating the aesthetic of a good-looking woman. It wasn't until she saw the look on Jess' face that she knew it was her, the infamous Rory Gilmore. They seemed to fade away from the room, forming their own little universe where nothing else mattered. Though it was unusual Beth decided it was a good look for her Mary, being helplessly in love suited him. Of course, she was also there for the aftermath. Being drunk, jealous and furious were not things that fit him well.

"I'm wary, that's for sure."

"No, you're Mary."

"Don't you have an intimate situation to be running from right now?"

"Nah, it's Christmas. I'll go make breakfast. You go back to buying me an engagement ring." Pulling on her dress from last night she walked out of his bedroom and towards the kitchen. Jess shook his head and went about typing a response to Rory's not-so-subtle hint about being in Philadelphia.

* * *

><p>Boxing Day was the traditional Gilmore day of rest, recovering from the many meals consumed the days previously. This year however Rory found herself awoken rather early by an unintentionally noisy Luke. She'd forgotten she was staying above the diner, her old room housing April on a more permanent basis. Though the younger girl was currently with her mother across the country, Rory didn't want to intrude on her private space.<p>

"Luke, you're aware that it's still dark out, right?"

"Rory! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay. You're not opening today are you?" Giving up on the idea of more sleep, she pulled her dressing gown and slippers on and sat with Luke at his table. Sensing her sleepiness he started to make a pot of coffee as they spoke.

"Not until noon. My meat guy however has made no such promise."

"Yikes, you do this every week?"

"More or less. Hey, Rory…" He looked at his feet awkwardly before pouring her some coffee. It appeared he was considering some for himself before deciding against it. Rory wasn't sure, but it almost looked like he was blushing. "Look, I'm no good at feelings, you know that. But… oh geez… look, the thing is…"

"You need to finish this thought by noon you know." She smiled brightly at him, and he responded meekly.

"Okay, here's the thing. I love your mom."

"Also grass is green."

"You're really reminding me of a certain nephew of mine right now."

"It's the early hour, it makes me… Jess-ish. Also more Lorelai-esque," she gestured at her empty coffee cup, which he groaned at before reluctantly filling it back up.

"You're as crazy as her, I'll give you that. Which brings me to my point. I wanna ask your mom to marry me."

"Did you hear? The sky is blue. Though it does beg the question, why are you telling me this instead of asking her?" Luke looked away from her sheepishly as something clicked. "Oh my god, you're asking my permission, aren't you?"

"You're the most important person in her life. Hell, you rank in the top five for me as well. It's not like asking the Gilmores, that's just old-fashioned and-"

"Weirdly sexist?" Rory offered, and Luke nodded gruffly.

"Your mom's her own person, but something in me had to make sure you were okay with it."

"Of course I'm okay with it! I'm so happy for you guys."

"I haven't asked yet."

"She's going to say yes, Luke. I bet she's annoyed you haven't asked yet. Speaking of which, when is that happening?"

"New Year's Eve. During the countdown."

"Very poetic, starting a new chapter of your lives together in the New Year. Luke Danes, you old softie."

"Don't let Taylor know."

* * *

><p>January 2008<p>

Rory's heart was beating frantically as she entered the hotel lobby, clutching Jess' book to her chest. That last moment in his car was something, though to be honest the entire day felt like a lot more than two old friends catching up. Throwing away her empty coffee mug, she made her way back to her room to figure out what all this meant.

Mark was at another hotel closer to the city centre. Rory had suggested they spend their few days in Philadelphia apart, explaining that she had a lot of work to catch up on and had a few friends in the city who may want to hang out in her hotel room. It wasn't the first time they'd done this, having their stint in St Louis in the same hotel but different rooms when Mark had been given exclusive one-on-one sit down time with Obama. The stress mixed with the need to ask the perfect question had driven him to request a few nights alone, which she completely understood. As for right now, Rory was trying to avoid thinking about why she wanted a room to herself. It wasn't easy to admit that the idea of sharing a bed with someone else in Jess' city made her all kinds of unnerved. This was better.

It didn't take too long to finish her work for the day, and she soon found herself staring at the cover for _Cast of Thousands_, its simple black and red cover enticing her to read. She knew it would be good, that wasn't even a question. It was simply a matter of wondering what reading it would do to her. Deciding there was no time like the present, Rory ordered some Chinese and cracked open the hardback.

Jess retuned from dropping off Rory with Thai food for the group. Chris was still editing frantically in his corner, glancing up at his friend with a grateful smile and thumbs up. Moving his way upstairs he was almost bowled over by a flash of red that hit him lightly on the arm.

"You chicken!" Beth said accusingly, before stealing a bag of the food. Jess hadn't known that she was here, but it didn't surprise him. Recently she'd been less apprehensive about spending the night, and he figured she'd spent the day with the guys instead of going home. Something about Rory being in town made him less likely to notice other things, like people or oncoming traffic.

"No, but there's chicken in some of these bags."

"Don't give me a stupid joke right now Mary," she pinched the bridge of her nose as though attempting to prevent a headache, "I can't believe you were such a wuss!"

"Was I supposed to be going skydiving today or something?" He tried another weak joke, though he was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about.

"Cut the cute crap, Mary. You gave her the copy without the dedication!"

"Huh, so I did."

"Such a chicken," she muttered before pulling out the tofu dish. After a few moments of silent eating, she started again. "You're too smart for your own good sometimes. Giving her that book in advance, knowing she'd go buy a copy the second they hit the shelves otherwise. The copies that all say 'to the girl who forced me to believe in myself, I dedicate it all', which is incredibly cheesy by the way. You knew she'd know it was for her, and for her to read that while in Philly? Chaos. Pure sexual chaos."

"I hate how much you know me sometimes."

"Just make sure you invite me to the wedding, okay?"

* * *

><p>November 2010<p>

The Chicago weather was poorer than usual, which was the reason Mark Johnson found himself in a nearly empty bookstore. It was probably due to be closed down, as were most of its competitors. Still it was a good refuge from the rain, and he hadn't actually browed a place like this in a long time. Life had been too hectic for reading, which was ironic considering he was on the fast track to becoming the head of one of the biggest newspapers in the country. It was something he predicted would happen in the next five years, if he didn't take up the multitude of offers he received regularly.

Near the register sat a large display of books with a name that was vaguely familiar. It took seeing a picture of the author to remember back a few years, to a hotel room in Philadelphia. He and Rory had never been particularly serious, but the premature ending of their relationship had stung. All he'd known beforehand was that she was visiting her author friend Jess. It became apparent during her cliché 'it's not you, it's me' speech that her author friend Jess was a lot more than just a friend. In the end it was okay, it wasn't as though Rory Gilmore was the love of his life. Picking up a copy of the book, his eyebrows raised a little at the words of praise displayed on the display. Phrases like '#1 bestseller' and 'voice of a generation' were buzzwords, but they were still impressive. Flipping through the pages he stopped when he saw her name.

_For the woman who puts up with me when I write this crap.  
>I still don't know how I managed to get so lucky.<br>My Rory, I love you more than any stupid dedication could convey._

Rory Gilmore may not have been the love of his life, but she was certainly someone's.

* * *

><p>In contrast to the rest of the country, Los Angeles seemed to have forgotten it was supposed to be winter in a few weeks. Weather like this was the reason Jess had left in the first place, among other reasons. This was his first time back since leaving his father's family all those years ago, and to be quite honest he was looking forward to going back to New York. Unfortunately his best friend had decided he needed to live here now, consumed by the pursuit of surfing and unobtainable beautiful women. Being the dutiful best friend and client that he was, Jess was doing a lot of the heavy lifting into Chris' new apartment. It was really cool that they'd all had enough success to go their own ways, though the touchstone in Truncheon was still there in Philly, manned by Matt and various other college age kids.<p>

He spent the day with his friends, drinking beers and listening to Matt complain that they were leaving him with all the real work. Jess listened and laughed, though he was quiet even for himself, which was saying something. The guys didn't seem to notice and soon he needed to make his next stop in this godforsaken place, the part of the trip he was especially nervous about.

It wasn't seeing Beth that made him nervous, that would just be silly. He'd told Rory all about his friend, and though she seemed a little confused and a tiny bit jealous about their history she'd actively encouraged him to go and see her. Which was good, because he needed Beth for this.

"My Mary!" Beth greeted Jess at the door, hugging him tightly. Her apartment was very professional, which didn't surprised him. For all her history of dating and bedding artists, she was still the most straight laced friend he had. They sat together in her newly renovated kitchen, mugs of tea in hand as they began to talk about inconsequential things, catching up.

"So Chris is all unpacked and probably drunk right now, which means those two should have fun."

"You weren't feeling like a pub crawl?"

"Not really my scene anymore."

"I know the feeling. Kind of meant for the single people, huh?"

"Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"Her name's Rebecca, she's an engineer originally from Texas."

"I'm sorry, did you say engineer?"

"Oh Mary, don't start."

"Not a surf instructor? Painter, poet, deadbeat musician?"

"Nope. Engineer. More in line with my current work ethic. Trying to make partner by the time I'm forty, that kind of thing."

"Hey, we creative types have work ethics!"

"No doubt, but not the kinds I kept sleeping with. Present company excluded, of course. So what's on your mind right now, my Mary? You have 'agenda' written all over your face."

"You're too smart for your own good. Here's the thing: you're a girl."

"Evidently," she grinned, glancing down at her chest. She'd always been a rather busty woman.

"I need your help, and you're the only girl I know. Except her mother, but there's no way I could tell her because the cat would be out of the bag the second I turned my back. There's her friends too, but that's a similar situation. So I figured, if you're not doing anything tomorrow, you could help me."

"Do what, exactly?"

"Didn't I say?"

"Not even a little."

"Oh, right." He felt his cheeks warm.

"Holy shit, you're blushing right now! This is big news. Let's see. Big news, Rory's involved somehow… oh my god we're going ring shopping!"

"You've got good taste, right?"

"I picked you as a friend, didn't I?"

"So that's a no."

* * *

><p><strong>So that was a fun thing to write! I don't think it fits cohesively as one story but I wanted to write Beth, and I figured writing Mark in and out of it would be fun too! Kind of a bit disappointed with myself for perpetuating that old 'bisexuals are anti-monogamous' stereotype, but I wanted to write a bi character and I wanted Jess to have a relationship that wasn't really a relationship, so I made Beth! In case you're wondering about Jess' nickname, Mary is short for Mariano. The hilarity of the nickname made me laugh when I thought of it. Plus Luke and Jess reacting similarly to proposing makes sense, right? <strong>


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